Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Toolcraft logo'd 5.56 Nickel Boron BCG with Carpenter 158 Bolt

I think some guys have gone over this, like MontanaMan. I don't know what kind of "tolerances", you are looking for and for what reasons? Better more consistent accuracy, or better reliability? I'd say if it's "milspec", it's good enough. Especially when it has a great reputation like the Toolcraft does. Like what's been said, Toolcraft makes these for many different companies. If there was an issue with their "tolerances", I think we'd know about it.

I know this is not a Toolcraft, but I've had excellent service out of it:



That's how a NIB BCG should look. When I say "NIB", I am referring to the Nickel boron coating. A well done unit, shall wear well, not flake off, and remain pretty stain free. It sounds like the Toolcraft is a great BCG, that I'd put my money on. I'd only hope it wears like this RTBA BCG has. And no, I don't know what "tolerances" that BCG has either. The rifle shoots very well, and has never had a malfunction.


Yeah, I'd put it up against a DD, or anything else. Is that the kind of "tolerances" you are looking for? I'd buy a Toolcraft, though, if I had an extra receiver to put it in. Just sold my BCM, because that one didn't really impress me much..

Exactly my question. if Criterion sells head spaced bolts with their barrels then tolerances of the bolt and maybe the carrier have an influence on accuracy? Seeing the cheap PSA video where it was shot to destruction IIRC it was the barrel that failed not the BCG. I did not go back and watch it again. So If you were building a "target rifle" my question would be in the absence of the head spaced bolt offered by Criterion would the $99 PSA toolcraft bolt be your first choice?

I don’t build target rifles but…

“ So If you were building a "target rifle" my question would be in the absence of the head spaced bolt offered by Criterion would the $99 PSA toolcraft bolt be your first choice?”

I bought the Toolcraft BCG for my latest Criterion build. Headspaced bolts are merely ones that pass the go/no go gauge. No one laps them into the barrel extension to achieve a square fit, which is what you want for the best chance at accuracy.

I have been pleased with the two I have and for that matter, most everything in PSA’s premium line has impressed me when you consider cost against quality.

Just to add, I’m an AR snob, Colt and other brands built to the TDP were the only thing I put any faith in for a long time.

But I have bought and used other brands hard over the years. Some have held up, some didn’t. The latest PSA upper I bought was simply to run a CMMG conversion kit in and it works just fine. Fine enough that I ordered one of these Toolcraft BCG’s and started blasting with M193 with surprisingly good results. It’s now my truck gun. It’ll work if I need it but won’t be hard to replace if it gets stolen.

Can't stress this enough.............just a bolt that in a given barrel, passes HS test. Not fitted specifically to a specific barrel...........just one that mates & passes HS.

In the example, Criterion make barrels, & they buy bolts, so they just verify that a given bolt & barrel pass HS specs.

If you really want to "fit" one, the buy a barrels that is chambered tight, & stone (lap) a bolt to fit.

Bolt specs are pretty tight & can easily be meassured to conformity per the atached drawing.

I check every bolt / barrel combination for exact HS with specifically measured case gauges before I assemble them...................never seen a combination fail given barrels from at least 6 different manufacturers & at least as many bolt manufacturers, except a Wilson Combat barrel that was short with any of several different bolts, so one had to be "fitted".

MM

So if I am reading that print correctly the tightest tolerance is the perpendicularly of the bolt lugs to the bolt body? Twice as tight as case head, firing pin hole, distance from bolt face to extractor hole.